Off-the-road vehicle tires, particularly those of earth moving and mining vehicles, carry very heavy loads and are subject to costly, premature failure unless proper inflation is maintained. If the tire pressure of these off-the-road vehicles is too high, early tire blowout could occur. If tire pressure is too low, excess heat may be generated and cause tread separation, resulting, in some cases, in tire life being reduced to one-third of that possible with proper maintenance.
There are previously known systems and methods for sensing tire pressure and temperature. Many involve fixed attachment of sensors to a tire rim, either inside or outside, the attachment of sensors over a hole in the tire rim, or by sensor attachment to the tire valve stem. Unfortunately, the prior art involves systems that are too heavy, made of materials that might erode the inner surfaces of the tire material, weaken the rim, require fixed attachment to the metal part of the wheel, require expensive field retrofitting of the rims, cause inconvenience and time during tire replacement, or simply encumber use of the valve stem, all of which can add lost time during vehicle maintenance.
There is a need in the art for an operable and accurate tire pressure and temperature monitoring system that does not require tire rim retrofitting, tire rim weakening, excessive cool down periods for accurate measurements and does not cause any harm to the inner surfaces of the tire all the while providing accurate measurements, and is easily and readily transferable among various tires and vehicles, both off-the-road and on-road.